Blank Slate
by Upstart Psycho
Summary: Decker is damaged goods. With freakish powers and no mentor but himself, he tries to manage building a new life and the ghosts of his old one in a world he doesn't recognize.
1. Chapter 1

**_Wow, I'm doing a rewrite of my first fanfiction? Let's see if I can make this hot mess better~..._**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

If there was ever a worse time to have some horrible cosmic business occur, it would be right now. Fionna was two steps out of the door to go and see Phoebus, the Prince of the Fire Kingdom, when a flash of light blinded her. The ground shook and the wind howled. And when it all became quiet, all that was left was a crater. Inside, someone lay still, unconscious.

Fionna backpedaled and ran inside. "Cake," she shouted, "Get down here!"

Her sister, Cake, stretched down into the front room. Cake was a magical cat. "What's the fuss, Sugar?" she asked.

"I don't know, but we need to find out."

Outside, just at the edge of the crater, Cake yowled, "Woah! Let's back it up here, girl!"

"What? What is it?" she asked.

"I think it's a boy. Hold on, I'ma take a look for the both of us. Stay up here," Cake said.

Fionna nodded, but unsheathed her sword, just in case. Cake slid down the slope of the crater, down to whoever laid in it. It was indeed a boy. Brown hair, pale skin, cracked glasses. He looked _human_.

His breathing was shallow. He looked a little dirty and worse for wear. It didn't look like he was getting up soon without medical attention. So, she took him onto her back. "He needs a doctor. Should probably take him to Gumball," Cake said.

Sheathing her trusty weapon, Fionna hopped on behind the boy. Cake grew tremendously in size and headed in the direction of the Candy Kingdom. The crisp Autumn wind bit at Fionna's exposed skin. She asked, "Cake. You think this guy's human?"

"He looks the part," she paused, "Try not to let your hopes get too high, baby."

"I know."

Still, she couldn't help but stare into the boy's face. He looked young. His features were still soft, not the well-defined, sharp features of a man. Maybe he was her age? So many thoughts in her head.

They swirled around like clouds in the early morning sky. Fionna had stared so intensely that she barely even registered the passage of time. When she looked up, the Kingdom was in sight and rapidly approaching. Even from there, she could see into one of the taller towers that held Gumball's lab. In fact, the prince was in there now.

He caught sight of them and waved with a smile. Cake shrunk at the front gate of the castle. It was opened soon after by Spearmint Maid. When the small candy lady saw the boy draped over Cake's shoulder, she gave a little gasp and hurried off. Little time was wasted as they hurried inside.

Gumball, a man who normally carried himself with all the dignity a prince should, now swung his arms with his wide gait, a concerned look in his eyes. "Ladies," he said, "Who's this poor soul?"

Fionna spoke, "Wish we knew. But, he just... _appeared_ outa nowhere. He needs a doctor."

His eyes flickered between her and the mystery boy. It wasn't until he spotted his very human-like skin that he said, "He's human?"

"We don't know," Cake said, "We were hoping you'd know."

"Very well. Bring him to my lab. I'll do what I can."

A very short walk later found them in the depths of his lab. Gumball looked over the boy laid on the table. Other than the bruises and scrapes that littered his body, nothing seemed wrong. He snatched a device from the table behind him. With a wave over the boy's body, it flickered to life.

 _Brain activity's normal,_ he thought. Both Fionna and Cake were quiet. Gumball knew what they wanted to know. With a sigh, he pulled a small flashlight from his pocket and check the boy's eyes. Brown, normal.

There wasn't much room for doubt. "Well," he stood up straight, "Based on his appearance, he's human. And he isn't in any mortal danger. Just a little dinged up."

"Wow," Fionna stared down at the other human, "Another human. Like me."

"We'll have to wait until he wakes to learn more, but..." he trailed off.

"But, what?" Cake narrowed her eyes.

After some of the stunts Gumball's pulled in the past, a certain distrust had been brewing in her gut. He was thinking about something she didn't like. "There's something that I've wanted to test- on a _human_ \- but, not on you, Fionna," Gumball turned his back on them, "Since you have always been precious to me, I never even thought to ask you about it. But, now that _this_ young man is here, perhaps I can try this."

Fionna tittered nervously, "And what's that?"

Gumball went over to a little, old vault on the wall and punched in the code. When it opened, blue mist poured out in thick, cold locks. Between his hands was a cylindrical canister. In it, an odd material. It almost looked like goop or wet sand, except it was black.

"This, Fionna, is what started the great Mushroom war, over a thousand years ago," Gumball said, "An ancient disease of mankind's creation. This is the only sample in existence. But, as you know, not even the Candy Castle is infallibly secure. If this fell into the wrong hands, the world as we know it could end."

Cake frowned, "You wanna make him a lab rat."

"No! I mean," he huffed, "Yes. But, it's for a good cause. If I can analyze its effects on the human body and create a cure or a vaccine, we wouldn't need fear a complete apocalypse."

"Prince, I..." Fionna shook her head, "I just can't say yes to that. That's so many levels of wrong to just _use_ this guy. We don't even _know_ him! He's the only connection I have to my people. I'm sorry, but-"

Gumball held up a hand, "No need to explain. I understand completely, Fionna."

He smiled warmly at her. "Phew," Fionna threw up her hand to scratch the back of her head, "I'm glad you do. When you think he'll wake up?"

"I don't think he'll sleep past this evening. I'll keep him under close watch until then," he said, "Oh! But, you must both have places to be today. Shall I give you a call when he wakes?"

"Sounds good to me," Fionna gave a thumbs up.

Gumball saw them both to the gates. He watched them leave and fade from view. For the sake of caution, he waited for an hour. While he hated to betray the trust of his knight and heroine, this wasn't something he could pass up. For the sake of the safety of his people, _sacrifices_ must be made.

Back up into the lab he went. The canister was retrieved once again, its contents then emptied into a rather large syringe. He moved the boy to a new table and restrained him with metal bars. And then, Gumball hesitated. Gumball cautioned a glance into the face of this boy, this human.

He looked so young, so full of life. Beyond the syringe, what was his fate? Would he die...? It took only a moment to break the chain of thoughts. With a quick shake of his head, Gumball plunged the needle deep into the boy's vein.

He swiped a pen and notebook from one of the surrounding desks. No immediate change. Five minutes later, no change. Thirty minutes, no change. An hour, no change.

Two hours, no change.

Time passed by in blur and there was no change in anything. There weren't any strange behaviors or brain activities. Absolutely no change. But, what did this mean about the disease? Had it just been an old myth from his Great Aunt Bubs?

Gumball sighed. "I can't always expect results on the first day," he muttered.

He left the lab, locking it behind him. The lights dimmed and went out, leaving the room dark. Gumball had never seen the body consumed by the same strange substance he had injected into it. By the time the boy came to, time had passed, though it was hard to pin down how much. He woke up screaming bloody murder, and the fact that he was pinned down only made him begin to panic.

"Is anybody out there?" he cried, " _Please_ , somebody, anybody!"

A whimper escaped his lips and tears stung at his eyes. He struggled against his restraints. They were coming loose! Eventually, the bars broke right in half. The boy fell off the table.

He scrambled back from the table on his behind with wide eyes, whimpering to himself, "Oh, what the hell. What the hell. What the _shit_!"

His head turned to the wall, where there hung a tall mirror. Horrified, the boy realized he didn't recognize the person in it. Try as he might, he couldn't remember anything. Not a thing. No name, no age, no family, no friends.

Now, tears were falling down his face. He got closer to the mirror and found that there were long, glowing tendrils of red slithering beneath the skin of each of his arms. "Oh, my God," he gasped out in horrified sobs, "Oh, my God, what the hell is this?!"

Gumball burst through the door. The young human's eyes snapped to meet the prince's. As Gumball took a slow, steady approach, the boy back up until his back hit the wall. It pained Gumball to see the fear and misery in the young one's eyes so clearly. "What's your name, son?" he asked.

"I-I dunno," he blubbered, "I can't remember my name- I can't- I don't-"

Gumball hushed him gently, hand outstretched, "Calm down. It'll be okay. I'm Prince Gumball, a friend."

"Did we-" he swallowed thickly, "Did we know each other?"

The monarch shook his head, "I don't believe so. My knight found you. Which reminds me... excuse me- Spearmint, darling."

From nowhere, the little white and green mint lady appeared. A startled yelp leapt from the human boy's mouth, "Wh-What _is_ that?!"

He tried pressing himself further into the wall, to no avail. "Be calm, son. This is my maid. Spearmint, be a lamb and send for Fionna, please?"

She nodded and left the lab. Slowly, the human detached himself from the wall and meekly came closer to the prince. Gumball turned back to the boy, "Now, I don't wish to alarm you, but I can't rule out the possibility that you may never recover your memories."

"What happens to me if I don't? I... I don't even know my own name."

Gumball let out a soft sigh. Lies were supposed to be his forté. It was something about the look in the boy's eyes that made him hesitate, one he knew all too well. There was this look of despair, of not knowing if he belonged anywhere. He once held that look himself, in another life.

"Perhaps then, you will have to make a new life for yourself," he said, "But either way, you won't be alone in this."

The boy wiped his eyes, sniffling, "Thanks."

Gumball nodded. _But_ , he thought, _That doesn't mean I can't benefit from this._ He spoke up, "Perhaps if I can draw some blood, I could tell you a bit more about who you are."

"What? How?"

"Why, anything from local pathogens and bacteria in your blood could tell me what area of the world you're from," Gumball gave a small smile, "Then, we could travel there and find people who knew you."

"But- um..." the boy trailed off, "Nevermind, let's do it."

"Alright, if you'll sit here on the table, I can get right to work."

Gumball grabbed a pair of gloves from the box. The colorful label read, _Decker's Latex Gloves: Deck 'em in the Schnoz!_ Ridiculous label. Who would use latex gloves just to punch someone in the face? With a syringe in hand, he turn around and found that the boy was rigid.

 _Nerves_ , he assumed. But, when he went to press the needle into the young man's arm, it didn't break skin.

It bent until it broke.

Gumball's eyes widened. Not wanting to alarm him, he chuckled nervously, "Darn thing. Scared of needles, are you?"

The boy nodded, "Sorry."

"Don't be," he said, "Do your best to relax your body, okay? Breathe slowly and deeply."

As he went to get another syringe, he could hear the slow, shaky breaths rattling through the young boy's body. The breaths slowed further and became steadier with each moment. Gumball came back and pressed the needle to the skin. He took on a gentle tone that he used with his candy people, "You won't feel a thing, I promise."

Slow, steady, deep breaths and the loosening tension in the boy's arm gave Gumball his cue. The needle punctured the skin and entered like molasses. "If you like, you can look away, son," Gumball said.

"Don't have to tell me twice."

And it surely was for the best, because what came out of him wasn't blood. It was the same color and consistency of the substance he injected. Gumball's eyes widened. When it was full, he withdrew the needle and turned away from the boy. "I'll analyze this later tonight, when my royal duties ease up," he said as he tucked it away in his lab coat.

Once again, out of nowhere, the little Spearmint Maid appeared. And again, the human yelped, "Don't... _do_ that!"

"Fionna and Cake have arrived, your Highness," she said.

"There's... seriously someone out there named Cake?" the boy gave an uneasy chuckle.

Before Gumball could answer, a girl barged in. This girl was human too. It took a minute to realize he had been staring for longer than a second or two, lost in his own hormones. With that, came the red hot glare from her giant house cat. _That_ was on his list of strange but wonderful things. _Geez, that's enough to make_ anyone _a cat person._

The girl rushed over and checked him all over, inadvertently whipping some of her golden hair in his face somewhere along the way. He looked to Gumball, concerned. Gumball gave him an embarrassed smile and shrugged. On top of it all, the cat _spoke_ , "That's enough, sugar. I think you're givin' him the willies."

"Oh," she jumped and repositioned herself in front of him, "Hi! I'm Fionna the Human. Sorry about that, I just- I've never seen another human before. What's your name?"

"Uh, Fionna," Gumball interrupted, "That's going to be a bit of a problem."

"What? Why?"

The boy looked down. "He has retrograde amnesia. Can't remember anything. No name, no home. Just... nothing."

Fionna covered her mouth with a gasp, "Oh, Glob. I'm so sorry. What're we gonna do, then?"

Gumball replied, "As far as where we go from here, I have no clue. But, I _do_ know we need to give him a name until he remembers his own."

"A name like what?" the boy asked.

Gumball, Fionna, and Cake all exchanged looks. Fionna did the best she could and picked up the box of latex gloves. "I dunno, I mean," she shook the box, "We could just use Decker for now."

His cheeks painted pink as he muttered indignantly, "Erm, gloves...?"

But, he didn't decline the name and exhaled something resembling 'nevermind.' Bringing up any sort of confrontation at this point wouldn't be prudent. Before he could censor himself, the thought crossed his mind, "Where will I live?"

Oh boy, did that come out _way_ more pathetically than he wanted. Apparently, it didn't offend anyone because Gumball was about to speak when Fionna blurted, "You can stay in the Treefort with me and Cake!"

" _Wha-a-t?!_ " Cake hissed.

Fionna saw the hurt look on Gumball's face. She blushed and twiddled her fingers, "Sorry, PG. the beds here are _super_ comfy, but they also get me all sticky too."

"As long as I have somewhere to stay, I'm happy. But, seriously, my memories. Can we get to work on that?" Decker insisted.

Fionna waved him off, "Ah, don't worry about that. Gumball's gonna take care of that."

His expression flattened humorously, "Are you sure that's something that should be waved off, Fig Newton?"

"Fionna," she corrected, "And sure it is! Gumball's, like, the smartest dude around. He'll have all this mess figured out in time."

Gumball bristled at the mention of him and tried to interject, only to be cut off by Cake. The cat had stood up to be just shorter than Fionna on her hind legs, her front paws on her shoulders. Cake whispered something inaudible in the teen girl's ear. It was met with a chuckle and dismissal. Decker just raised an eyebrow silently, _Does she just... brush people off all the time?_

Still, it was nothing to worry about yet. It helped that she was super hot. Decker momentarily worried that he may have a girlfriend already. Hell, he may have a _boyfriend_ already. But, it was fleeting thought.

The spirit was willing, but the flesh was oh-so weak.

A prolonged, awkward silence filled the room, only to be broken by Gumball. "I'm going to go and," he paused, eyes shifty, "analyze this blood sample from... 'Decker.'"

He didn't wait for an answer, and immediately left. Fionna gave an odd look, "That's weird."

But, she shrugged it off and smiled at Decker, "Let's head back to the Treefort and getcha set up in a room."

Decker's eyes lingered over the door Gumball disappeared behind, but said, "Yeah. Let's."

Fionna led the way, a broad smile on her face, "I know my way around this place, so we don't have to wait for Spear Maid."

After a minute of following, Decker made it a point to walk beside her. Fionna's skirt was far too short for him to stand and Cake was starting to scare him with her looks. Not only that, but his conscience was nagging him for staring at her rear. He took a deep breath, _Can you please not, body?_ Still, she rambled on about one thing or another as they left the kingdom.

Beyond the Kingdom walls were great, grassy plains that were dotted with patches of forest. The colors were all so vibrant that it almost hurt Decker's eyes. Even the clouds looked whiter. Then, Cake expanded, leaving him flabbergasted. He sputtered out some confused noises, making Fionna giggle, "What? You've never seen a magic cat before?"

After recovering his jaw from the ground, he replied, "I may not have memories of my life or anything, but I'm pretty sure I don't have _anything_ like this where I'm from."

 **"We don't."**

The new voice was unfamiliar and caused Decker's head to swivel and seek out its owner, only to find no one else there. Unsettled, he took Fionna's hand as she grabbed onto Cake's leg, and tried his best to ignore whoever it was he heard. At the end of the short, silent ride, he marveled at the Treefort. It was huge! "You're gonna catch flies with your mouth like that, y'know," Fionna teased.

Decker's teeth clacked shut and the girl giggled. "Sorry," he said, "It's a big place."

"It's alright. C'mon, I'll show you the guest room."

Cake scampered over to a little teal box with arms and legs. Its side was labeled 'BMO'. A cute little thing, he decided as he followed Fionna. The rooms were up the stairs and down an uncomfortably narrow hallway. At the end were two doors facing each other.

Fionna opened the one on the right. "Alright, this is yours til we can find your real home," she gestured to the left door, "This one's mine and Cakes. Just make sure you knock since you're a- woah, hey..."

"What?" Decker asked.

She pointed to one of his arms, "Those weren't... always there, were they?"

Hidden by the light of the sun, the thick, glowing tendrils beneath his skin had been revealed by the dying light of the hall. "They were there when I woke up. I-I just assumed-"

"And your eyes!"

"Huh? What's wrong with my eyes?!" he yelped.

Fionna drew a sword from her pack and Decker stepped back in fear. "Woah, woah. It's okay," she said, adjusting her grip so she was holding the handle out to him, "Take a look-see."

Decker looked into his reflection and gasped. His brown eyes held the same faint glow as the veins. He sputtered and stammered to find words. Not only his arms, but his eyes as well? "I don't understand," he handed her sword back, "Was I not like this before?"

"Not when we found you, you weren't!" she said, "We need to go back to-"

It was then that she remembered the canister Gumball had shown her earlier. Fionna felt a pit forming in her stomach. The prince had a penchant for lies, she knew that. Why had she left Decker alone with him _immediately_ after he tried to convince her that experimenting on the poor guy would be a good idea? Guilt crept up over her.

If her theory was true, if Gumball had gone ahead with the experiment, and Decker's memory loss was a side effect, she would have to share the blame. She only prayed to Grob-Gob-Glob-Grod that that wasn't the case. "- to Gumball," she continued, "I-I know we just got back, but we can do this pretty quick. C'mon, maybe he's got some answers."

"I hope," he murmured.

The trip was shorter than he remembered and unremarkable in nearly every way. Decker was far too busy focusing on the lights beneath his arms. The strange, glowing fluid bubbling his skin up like snakes swirled both there and in his mind. Uneasiness quaked in his heart. Part of him wondered if he was still human.

There was enough left in his brain that he knew that this wasn't normal, and it made him worry even more. The Candy Kingdom's creamy, chocolate soil came up to meet his feet. Decker wobbled on his legs only for a moment. They stood at the base of Gumball's Tower.

Decker was ready for answers.

* * *

 _ **And here we go.**_

 _ **Hopefully this dumpster fire does just a little better than last time.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"You did _what_?!"

Gumball stood fast in the face of Fionna's outburst. Stone-faced and stoic as his facade would allow, he said, "I don't have to justify my actions to you."

Fionna's face only got redder and more twisted up, "You had. _No right_!"

"I have every right I need to protect my people, Fionna!" he shot back, "This boy is the key to a safe future!"

The boy in question couldn't find his own voice in the chaos of his mind. Decker's entire being was consumed by a deep, sinking pit in his stomach. The voices around him muffled. It was like a ringing in his ears. Maybe he was going mad.

"He's a human being! Like me," Fionna ground out the words like a mill, "Would you have eventually done this to me?"

"No!" Gumball threw his hands up over his face and into his hair, then gestured wildly, "You're too valuable to-"

"To experiment on? To be a guinea pig?"

"To lose!" he shouted.

Fionna swung her finger out at Decker, "But he isn't?!"

There wasn't any time to think. No time to breathe. Decker needed out. He wanted to cry. He wanted to run away from everything.

"Shut up."

Gumball, Fionna, and Cake all turned to Decker. His fists were clenched, his jaw set with his gnashing teeth, and he shook. Decker shook and the red glow coming from him only intensified. No one, not even Decker himself, could tell if he was shaking in fear or hatred. The ragged, shallow breaths sped from Decker's lips, and when he looked up at the candy monarch, gold and crimson light bled from his eyes.

Even the cold lights of the lab couldn't freeze out the glaring, hot anger pouring from Decker's very veins. "I trusted you," he spat.

"You must understand, son-"

"Don't call me son."

"It is- _You are_ the only living thing that could possibly ever bring forward a cure for this virus. And-"

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" Decker's voice rose, as did his emotions, "You made me a _freak_!"

"I made you the hope of all life in Aaa," Gumball said, "You're a hero."

Decker couldn't find the words to come back with. His teeth just continued to gnash. It felt like they could shatter if he ground them together any more. How could this have happened? Turned into an amnesiac and a freak in less than a day.

His anger ebbed away into sadness and cold. The fists at his sides relented. Decker's vision blurred more and more until...

 _Drip._

 _Drip._

Small sobs crept up the young boy's throat. He eked out the words, "I trusted you."

The space of the lab, the first place he could remember, danced around in the distortion of his tears. Fionna felt a lump form in her throat, but swallowed it down. She moved to him. As gently as possible, her hand went to his chin and cradled his cheek, "Hey. Hey. Stay with me, it's okay."

"How is this okay?" a sob wracked through him, "How can I still be human if I'm... _this_?"

"Decker," Fionna's hold on him firmed, "You're still human to me."

The girl shot the Prince a glare, but he didn't falter. Gumball always did find a way to make things more difficult. Fionna continued, "We'll find a way to make the best of this. I mean, heck, most of the humans I've met are a lot more robot. Who knows, maybe we're the normalest humans out there."

Fionna drew Decker into a hug. His arms merely hung at his sides. "I think you need some sleep," she murmured into his shoulder.

She slowly drew away from him. A barely registered nod from him. He stared into the ground. Anything to get out of Candy Hell. As they made for the door, Gumball interjected, "Fionna, please, just let me run a few tests and-"

"I'm _not_ the person you need to be asking permission from," her eyes narrowed at him.

With an exasperated sigh, Gumball could barely begin to repeat himself when Decker cut him off, "No."

"Son-"

"I said don't call me son."

"There is so much potential for good in you," he pleaded, "I know that if we just run a few-"

"Seriously?" Decker's blank stare shifted to meet Gumball's gaze, "Are you sick in the head?"

Fionna tried laying a hand on his shoulder again, speaking soothingly, "Hey-"

But that trick wasn't working this time. "No," he brushed her hand from him, "You're sick. Stay away from me."

Knuckles crackled under his grip. The angry tears that ran down his expressionless face unsettled all in the room, "You ruined my life, you ruined my humanity, and-"

"Decker, you need to calm down," Fionna said, her arms in front of her in a typical "calm down" motion.

He shifted. Everything cracked. His face contorted in rage and despair. His arms swung up. "I don't _want_ to calm down!" he stomped his foot, and it sunk into the candy stone with a resounding _crack!_

Splintering cracks spidered out from where his foot was firmly planted. Gumball's eyes widened, as did Fionna's. Cake was inching closer to the human girl. Fionna spoke once more, attempting reason, "Decker, please. It's okay to be upset, but you can't lash out like this. It's unhealthy!"

Hateful tears made a mess of his face. He was nearly sobbing with every breath and they were becoming more and more uneven. Decker stomped to the door, wiping his face and nose as best he could. He had his hand on the handle when Gumball called out, "Fionna's right, but son-"

The door came off its hinges and shattered against the adjacent wall. "Call me son one more time!" Decker roared.

He quivered, right down to his bones. His teeth were bared as if he were an animal backed into a tight corner, tense and ready to snap. How could any of them tell him to calm down now? This anger had come over him so suddenly and yet it felt _right_. It felt good.

Yet, he relented.

The look on Fionna's face stabbed at his heart. Guilt washed over him. Decker swallowed the anger like horse pill. By way of some intangible weight, Decker's shoulders slumped once more, defeated. "Can," he stammered, his voice momentarily hoarse, "Can we just go? I'm..."

And he just left. Cake followed closely after giving her sister a nod. Fionna followed the boy with her eyes, pouring as much sympathy into her look as possible. With a sigh, her hands rested on her hips. "Fionna," Gumball said, "That boy is dangerous."

"Half of all Aaa is dangerous."

"You know what I mean."

"I do. And I agree," she said, "He's strong and he's definitely dangerous."

"Leave him with me, then," Gumball pleaded.

"No."

"Why?"

"If he really is this strong, then shouldn't we focus on making him an ally and building up friendships? Get him on our side?"

An exasperated sigh left his lips, "Don't be naïve, Fionna. It's far better to know his cards than to gamble, hoping he likes us."

Fionna pinched the bridge of her nose. "There's no sense arguing with you," she said, "He's coming with me. _I_ will look after him and hopefully he'll start to remember who he is."

A heavy silence. That was the final word, he realized.

"I trust you, Fionna," Gumball said.

"I hope so," she replied and left, leaving the prince alone in the damaged lab.

Among the cracks in the floor and the shards of door, Gumball was unsurprised. Fionna was stubborn, and he hadn't expected the boy to just roll over for more tests. And there was no sense in drawing out some long-winded lie that Fionna would've found out sooner or later. He was sure that he'd get more samples of Decker, somehow.

* * *

The night air, even moving against his face on Cake's back, felt stale. Everything was numb now. Decker curled in on himself further. Cake's fur was so soft. It was his sole comfort.

"Are you okay, baby?" Cake cooed.

"No," a lump formed in his throat, "Why'd he do it?"

"Because that's how Gumball is," she said, "If you're not a citizen of the Candy Kingdom, you don't matter to him."

"Stop it, Cake," Fionna piped up, "He cares. It's just in a different way."

"Babygirl, you're not wise to the ways of the world like me. You've seen how Gumball is. Remember everything leading up to your first kiss with FP?"

Fionna blushed and shut up. "Who's FP?" Decker asked quietly.

She nervously stroked the hair poking out of her hat, "My boyfriend."

"That's nice," he said, "Is he good to you?"

"Y-Yeah," Fionna's blush deepened.

Decker smiled, if only slightly. It was wonderful to hear something good.

Later that night, he lay in bed, unable to sleep. There was no moon, leaving everything drenched in darkness. Every part of him yearned for sleep, but he simply couldn't. The whole day played in his head. Over and over, everything overlapped, transforming his thoughts into frothy rapids.

Something had to give. Decker sighed and got up. He went out into the hall. His hand raised to knock on Fionna and Cake's door, but he hesitated. They had both been so nice to him so far, but being this much of a burden might make them doubt their hospitality.

Lowering his hand, Decker made his way down and out of the Treefort. Somewhere deep inside made him think a jog might help. And that's what he did. It started out as a quick jog, but when he didn't get winded in the slightest after a while, it made him wonder. What was he, and just what could he do now?

Decker sped up a bit. He went further for a while and still wasn't even panting. That's when he decided to break out in a sprint. He sped up and sped up until he felt the wind in his face stronger than when he was on Cake's back. And then it was stronger still.

He looked behind him. The Treefort was nowhere in sight. The only thing he saw in the night was the kicked up dust trailing behind him. _Just from me running_ _?_ he wondered. He wondered more.

What was his limit? How fast, how long, and where could he go using this? This was exciting. Some small part of him craved more. An idea struck him.

If his legs were so strong, then how high could he jump?

With all his might, he leapt into the air. The ground cracked beneath him and he was soaring. He had jumped nearly thirty feet in the air! Even when he came back down, there was no pain in impacting the ground. In fact, he hit the ground running once more.

Decker kept running. Running and running, far longer than he intended, until the grass thinned. Mountains came into view, as did the snow. It was then he realized that it was freezing out! He finally slowed to a stop. The snow had just started to accumulate and he could only see it thickening in the distance.

Where did this lead? Decker wanted something else now. His curiosity peaked and his sleepiness long faded. But something new bothered him now. The boy shivered.

Decker didn't know how cold it was, he only knew it was enough to snow. Nevertheless, it felt like needles all over, hot needles. However cold it was, it wasn't enough to dissuade him from his quest for the unknown. He pressed forward. Forward he trudged until the snow was knee high.

With a huff, he propelled himself forward with a jump, and air-suspended snow sparkled in the starlight. From there, he began jumping forward to gain distance faster than walking or running. It was chilling how still the air was, though. The pun made him chuckle a bit. There was no blizzard for how much snow was on the ground, and the mountains, too, were covered in snow.

Was this a mere dip in the weather? Maybe there was a giant magic penguin with the power of ice and snow, and it was, perhaps, asleep for the night. Another chuckle against the dead air. Even though the needles prickled more intensely now, Decker continued to press himself, wishing only for a thick coat. Something came up, in the center of all the mountains.

The tallest one of the bunch had a _face_ on it. There was light coming from inside it, too. What was inside? _I'm gonna find out!_ Decker grinned lopsidedly. For a moment, he felt like this might not be so bad after all.

That is, until he actually got to the gaping maw of the mountain and saw a woman. This normally wouldn't be a problem because the woman, despite her baby blue complexion, was good looking by Decker's standards. It was the pissed off purple cloud with a terrible pornstache in a cage that threw him for a loop. No, cloud wasn't the right word. It was solid, but... lumpy, in a way.

To top it all off, instead of using his legs and hightailing it out of there, he stood there. Decker was just like a deer in the headlights, even when the woman turned to glare at him. She stared into his soul, and boy was that awkward. She had eyes like a stormy day. He could see where the iris was supposed to be, but it was fogged over in a white-grey haze. "I thought I sensed a disturbance in my snow," she spoke, "Who dares to intrude upon my steamy date!"

"Lumpin' help me!"

"Silence, my prince!"

"H-Huh...?" Decker was beyond confused, "I'm sorry, I got lost, and I don't think this is any of my business. I'm just gonna-"

The lump creature called out, "Aw, heck naw, you're not gonna lumpin' leave me here, you wad! Help me!"

"I said silence!" the woman screeched, and shot a blue bolt of energy from her hand.

The prince had been frozen solid, a terrified look on his face. Decker's eyes widened, "What the hell are you?"

What the hell was any of this? This world was bizarre in every sense, from its color scheme to its denizens. The pins and needles were intensifying as well. It was beginning to worry him. "I'm queen of the ice and snow, thank you very much. You were interrupting an important date," she placed a hand on her jutted-out hip, "What do you want?"

Who puts their date in a cage? _Is she for real?_ Decker put his hands up in mock surrender, "I really am lost, I swear. I went for a jog and ended up here."

She raised a long, delicate eyebrow, "You were jogging? And you just so happened to wander into the top of a mountain?"

"I'm... really fast?" he smiled nervously.

"Mm-hmm," she paused, "Zap."

With that, Decker was now frozen from his neck to his feet-

 **P A I N!**

It exploded. It came from everywhere. It permeated everything, every part of him. He could feel it like fire and brimstone, down to his nails! Decker let out a screech of pain.

The blue lady was confused. Her ice wasn't that cold, she made sure it was the perfect temperature to keep people alive and healthy, but trapped. Something deep inside whispered in her ear how wrong this was, how unusual the whole thing felt. The tiara's whispers. Yet, another part of her was morbidly curious.

Another zap and Decker flopped to the ground, panting. Slowly, he began to get to his hands and knees. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Lady," he huffed, "If you could _not_ do that again-"

Alas and alack, she zapped him right back.

Decker's strangled screeches and whimpers were met with the stroking of the madwoman's blue chin. "Now, _why_ were you up here, again?" she asked, smugness oozing from her shiny smirk.

No answer. She hadn't noticed the noises had stopped. _Huh. He passed out_ , she mused. This was a pickle, indeed. She needed answers, but that required the boy to be restrained.

If he passed out every time she froze him for more than a minute or two, it'd take forever for this particular tea to spill. On the other hand, she had no idea what he was capable of, but he climbed an entire mountain without breaking a sweat. He either had supernatural prowess or a magical stretching cat on his side, and she was willing to bet there was only one of Cake. There was one option. The woman un-zapped Decker.

She'll need to wait until he wakes up.

* * *

Fionna awoke suddenly. She checked her clock. It read 5:50 am. She groaned because she was wide awake. A glance spared in the direction of Cake's drawer found her still out like a light.

The human got out of bed and stepped out into the hall. All the way down to narrow way, down the ladder, and into the kitchen. Fionna grabbed some kind of prepackaged toaster pastry from the pantry and dug in as she looked about. It was still dark out, but the sky was beginning to lighten up. Her thoughts turned to Decker.

Yesterday's events still weighed heavy on her heart. Maybe it was her hero instincts, but she felt partially responsible for his current state. It was times like this that Fionna wished she had Cake's uncanny ability to detach from stuff. Speaking of Decker, she wanted to check on him. Perhaps he couldn't sleep either.

Fionna approached the door, steeled herself, and opened the door as meticulously and as quietly as she could. But when she peeked in, he was gone. In moments, she was waking her sister. "Cake, get up!" she hissed, "Decker's gone."

After a few minutes of Cake being ornery, Fionna took the entire drawer from the dresser and dumped both it and Cake on the floor. The cat yowled and grew to her normal size, "Okay, okay. Decker missing. What're we gonna do about it?"

"Stretch around. Look for tracks," Fionna put her hands on her hips, "He couldn't have gotten far."

Fionna grabbed her backpack, hat, and followed Cake out the door. She hopped on the cat's back. Cake rounded the parameter of the Treefort. Nothing. She stretched out further and circled again.

"I'm not seein' anything, sweetie."

"Keep looking. Please."

"Maybe he just wants to be alone."

"I feel responsible for him. If something happened to him, I'd never forgive myself."

So Cake stretched herself even further out, circling once more. Finally, something. "Look, there," Cake said, "Craters. Think that stuff Gumball gave him made him do that?"

"Maybe," Fionna murmured, "But those lead to... Cake, we gotta follow them. Decker or not, look. They lead in the direction of the Ice Kingdom. Whoever they are, we should probably steer them clear of Ice Queen."

Cake groaned, but continued onward regardless. In her heart, Fionna hoped that these tracks were Decker's, but she relinquished herself to her heroic instinct. They were on an adventure at far-too-early in the morning.

* * *

 **"Wake up,"** a voice coaxed, **"Wake up, you little shit."**

"Wake up!" a stinging slapped bit Decker's face.

Stars decorated his field of vision. The neon blobs slowly took shape. The blue woman stood in front of him, arms crossed. The pain from before had faded significantly, but it was concentrated now. It was at his wrists and ankles.

 _Must be shackles now,_ he thought. A glance down at his feet confirmed his fears. Decker had been chained to the wall. The room he was in was an absolute mess as well. Clothes were strewn about the floor, thrown anywhere but the hamper in the corner near a doorway.

A bathroom, if the mirror he could see through the sliver of an opening was to be believed. There was a bed as well, also a mess. The fact that this woman took him to her room made him warier. She had this intense look on her face. Like she was thinking hard, yet not entirely present in the moment.

Decker locked eyes with her. Her milky eyes glared at him. They flickered to the wall next to him, but only for a moment. "What?" he asked.

"You're interesting," she said, "And you're making my witch eyes go haywire. I'm practically seeing double when I look at you."

"Witch eyes? What the hell? Who are you?"

"I'm the Queen of the Ice Kingdom," she proclaimed, "I rule over all things ice and snow!"

Decker reeled back in confusion. She just said that earlier. Did that mean she didn't have a name? "But," she continued, giving him a heavy-lidded once-over, "All of my _friends_ call me Ice Queen."

Discomfort shivered down his spine. The way she eyed him was unnerving, and being chained up didn't ease him at all. "Okay," he gulped, "So, why'd you have to chain me up... Ice Queen?"

A predatory grin parted her azure lips, revealing her pearly whites. Ice Queen sauntered closer, "That depends. What's _your_ name?"

"I'm," he paused, hesitantly, "I'm Decker."

"Decker," she toyed with the name on her lips, "Tell me, Decker, are you a prince of any land?"

What? "What?" he squeaked, "I-I don't know. No?"

Ice Queen's smile faltered, "How can you not know? It isn't a vague question. Are you a prince or aren't you?"

Decker's heart was in his ears. Ice Queen could kill him if she wanted and he wasn't in a position to fight. He wasn't even sure if he knew how to fight. The truth was probably best here. "I have amnesia," he blurted, "I don't know because I lost all my memories. The only thing I know is my name."

"So you're not a prince," she drawled.

This was going from bad to worse. Ice Queen sounded very unhappy. This chick was real hung up on the whole prince thing. By the sounds of it, she would be far happier if he _were_ a prince. _If I wanna make it outa this, maybe I need to play that to my advantage._

Decker went for it, "I could be one though. I don't have any memories, but that just means that I could be a... prince in need of assistance...?"

Despite the shaky performance, the blue woman ate it all up. Her expression lit up in carnivorous delight. "Well, well, well," a finger made its way to Decker's chest, "Perhaps I can help you remember a few things, _my prince_."

Shit, he didn't like the sound of that. "Maybe I'd like that," Decker said, "If you unchain me."

Ice Queen let out a quick cackle, "You know I can't do that. I can't have you running away, Decker."

"Please? These things really hurt," Decker put on his most innocent face, "And we both know I can't outrun your _incredible_ ice powers."

He was laying it on thick, yeah, but if it got him out of these shackles made of pain, it'd be worth it. Ice Queen dragged her finger down his chest and moved closer, "Do you really think my powers are incredible?"

The tone was different now. More genuine. Even her predatory look was gone, replaced a more prodding look of cautious curiosity. "Uh, well, yeah?" a nervous chuckle, "I've never really seen anything like that before."

Ice Queens face darkened into a pale indigo. She turned away quickly. Decker dropped to his feet as the shackles turned to snow.

But, then the door to the hall disappeared.

* * *

 _ **I'm so sorry for the wait, but here we are at the end of Chapter 2. I'll start on 3 soon. Geez, writer's block is a bitch.**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Decker's eyes bulged out of his skull at the blank wall of ice. He shifted the bewildered look to Ice Queen, silently prodding her. "Simply a precaution, dear," she said, "I can't have you running off and getting yourself killed. You don't know what's out there."

He raised a defiant finger in the air before he deflated, "I... _cannot_ argue with that."

The ice monarch patted his head, "Very good. I shall be your benevolent guide in this new, strange world, my prince."

Decker hid his deadpan beneath an uneasy, tight-lipped smile. He didn't like the way she called him those pet names. But he was in the soup now, and if there were others that had magical powers like her, maybe there was a way to get his memory back. He made some kind of murmuring noise to get her attention. She acknowledged him.

"Is there any place you can think of that could help me get my memories back?" Decker rubbed his arm.

With a long hum to herself, Ice Queen said, "Let me think about that. I'm gonna go slip into something _comfortable_."

 _Please, no_. Something deep inside Decker knew that that meant _less clothes_. She exited the room through the ice wall, stepping through it as if nothing were there. Decker waited until he figured she was far enough down the hall, then scrambled to try and find some way out. With loud groan, Decker's hands ruffled his hair roughly.

He paced back and forth, finally settling on the bed. His leg bounced rapidly, and his eyes darted around the room. Nothing, not even a vent. No way to sneak out.

Then- an idea: if he could tear a door off its hinges and jump thirty feet in the air, how strong were his _arms_? Decker leapt up from the bed, clenched his fist, reeled his arm back, and blasted it forward into the wall. Nothing happened. It just hurt like hell.

Decker yelped and shook his hand vigorously. Tears pricked at his eyes as he held his throbbing hand. Hissed curses bit past his lips. "Magic ice," he muttered, "bad, bad, bad magic ice."

His hand was somehow throbbing and numb at the same time. Did this happen to all humans when they got cold? Decker pounded on his skull, cursing his brain for forgetting, Ice Queen for cornering him, and most of all Gumball for doing this to him. If Gumball hadn't run those sick tests on him! Now, he was going to be assaulted by some chick with ice powers and serious issues.

Willing his tears back into his skull, he wiped his nose, sent his foot crashing into the same slab of ice where the door had been, and bit back a cry. Decker had to restrain himself. All he wanted, more than anything, was to lash out and destroy everything in the room that could be destroyed. Yet, some sense of self preservation told him Ice Queen wouldn't like that very much. Instead, the floor at the foot of the bed frame beckoned him to sit.

Decker ran his hands through his hair. It wasn't the same. Something gripped him from the inside, something he couldn't put a name to, and a lump formed in his throat. Decker tried caressing his own brunet locks as gently as he could, failing to mimic any kind of external comfort. He hugged his legs closer.

This continued until he heard the sound of Ice Queen's magic. It made Decker jump and try to look as casual as he could manage. "Wait," he stammered, "I thought you were gonna-"

"Gonna what?" she asked, "I told you was getting comfortable."

The monarch stood over him, clad in a thick sweater and fleece pants. Both were some shade of blue. Her hair was up as well, using itself as a tie. In her hands was a stack of board games, none of which he recognized. At the top of it all, a pair of bongos.

It was best to let it go for the moment. Giving her ideas was the last thing he wanted to do. "I'm confused. You froze me and trapped me here to play some board games?"

"Yes," she replied, "How else am I supposed to get you to stay?"

Decker couldn't help a weak chuckle at the ridiculousness, "Why not just ask me to stay?"

She made her way to the bed and set the things down. "Why do that and risk being told no? Freezing is easier. Now come, sit on the bed with me."

Decker did as he was told. As cold as it was, the sheets were a warm welcome, literally. The stinging in his behind and legs began to alleviate. He wouldn't dare wrap himself up in it, for fear of inviting the queen's unwanted attention. Ice Queen set the bongos aside and went about setting up the first game.

It was some game involving a die inside a plastic half-circle. What a strange little game. Even stranger was that it looked as thought it required more than just two people. Decker stared into the pieces. As much as he wished to speak his mind, he equally fear this stranger's response.

He stared and stared until, finally, Decker ripped the bandage off. "Is this what you do for fun?" he asked.

Ice Queen had been explaining the rules to him. Her initial response was annoyance, but quickly shifted more toward confidence. She adopted something akin to a haughty expression, "Only when all my suitors come to court me."

A pause. Suitors? The one guy in the main room was begging to be saved. Before he could say anything, Ice Queen went on, "I also save these games for my gal pals. You may know the famous heroines, Fionna and Cake?"

She knew them? Why? How? Since when? Most importantly, why would they neglect to tell him about her if they really were friends?

Decker shyly prodded, "You know them, too?"

"Know them? I'm practically their bestie! I-" she popped the die and moved her piece before she began fumbling over herself, "D-Did you say 'too'?"

He gave a small nod. His eyes looked anywhere but into hers, electing to focus on the game. _Pop. Tap, Tap_. "They found me."

 _Pop._ "Ah. I see."

 _Tap, Tap, Tap, Tap._

"You, uh, don't sound so enthused."

 _Pop. Tap._ "No, no. It's not that," Ice Queen was quick to make her move, a pop and three taps, "We have history, is all."

"Yeah?" Decker chortled unevenly.

 _Pop._

"Yeah, we used to be nemeses."

 _Clatter!_ Two of Decker's pieces clacked across the board as he tried to grab them and compose himself at the same time. Stupid! How could he be stupid enough to wander here? This crazy witch could totally be evil.

"Nemeses?" his voice cracked with the weigh of the lump in his throat.

The pieces were back in place and moved to their correct locations. Ice Queen nonchalantly made her move as she remarked, "It was all in good fun. I'd have one of my fair princes over for a short spell, they'd come and ruin the fun, then they'd leave. Rinse and repeat. It's rather fun."

Decker was silent, his gaze avoided hers. Yet he still stole glances. Her appearance betrayed her personality. The skin looked soft; the hair even softer, so long that it spilled over the edge of the bed and pooled on the floor.

It almost looked like a pile of snow. Maybe that was intentional. The game carried on and he was on autopilot, taking in details. Ice Queen's eyebrows were weirdly long. Her eyelashes, however, were pleasant to look at; white and covered with what looked like white mascara.

While they were odd, they were not as odd as the eyebrows. They defied gravity, the damn things. What purpose could they possibly serve? Despite that, she was an average-looking blue woman with an average-looking body. Why would she have to resort to kidnapping people?

As she continued talking about anything and everything under the sun, even her personality was average. Aside from the whole prince fetish and kidnapping kink, she liked oddly normal things for such an adventure-filled world. Music, drawing, board games, the works. When the game's end drew near, she even picked up her bongoes. The little beats she patted out were complex, maybe even a bit ostentatious, before slowing to something more mellow between turns.

Ice Queen beat him at the first game. The next one had a loose die and a board with ladders and slides on it. She continues talking, playing her bongoes, while Decker found himself easing into the repetitive turn-taking. It felt normal. _He_ felt normal.

The last day had been a whirlwind of superpowers, magic cats, and people made of candy. Now he was playing board games and talking to a girl. She was a witch and he had amnesia, but it was still a far cry from the madness from yesterday. This game went by faster. She won again, doing a little "in your face" dance for emphasis.

The third game included fake money. _That's stupid_ , Decker mused, _Who'd wanna just live life but in game form._ Yet, by the time he'd made his first round, he had made far more progress than she. Turns out Ice Queen isn't good at handling her money. Decker still was cautious, and more than a bit hesitant.

He still wished he'd never left Fionna's. They were probably worried sick. Meeting new people sucked enough without being frozen. Second time around the board and Ice Queen was seething. She'd been thrown in jail.

Well-groomed nails dug into the sheets while she muttered and gnashed her teeth. Decker let out the smallest of giggles. It made him feel fuzzy to know _he_ was able to fluster _her_ for once. The shoe was on the other foot until the other foot dropped. Even his tiny giggle was enough to shift her anger away from the game board; he was the new target of her seething.

Perhaps it was best if he let her win? Was this too competitive for her? Would she take that anger out on him? It made him curious about her kidnapping practices and the etiquette of being a hostage. His fingers dove nervously into his locks, sifting through the chocolate strands.

"S-So," he trembled, "You never... _hurt_ the princes you kidnap, right?"

Decker moved his piece. Ice Queen was now released from jail. "Of course not," the witch replied.

A sigh of relief.

She continued, "I merely punish them when they step out of line, that's all."

The 'yikes' scale didn't cut it this time. It was a really big 'oof'. Beyond even that, it might even be a 'woof'. A pit in Decker's stomach drew his attention to the shakiness of his breath and the quickness of his pulsing heart; he was afraid. He shakily asked, "You wouldn't do that to me, though. Would you?"

Ice Queen gave him a sly smirk, "I don't know. You gonna step outa line?"

The largest part of him wanted to continue agreeing and going along with whatever she said. Another part of him, however, told him to defy. Was this a conscience? For a moment, he abandoned his logic. That defiant voice, which he had been neglecting for hours, wanted to tell her how wrong she was.

 _If you don't say something, if you don't try and change her mind, she's gonna do this to other people._ Decker's mind drifted to the weirdly shaped prince. Both of them may get out of this alive, but the thought of another innocent person being held hostage pierced his conscience. It was like aching in his heart.

Guilt.

"Well... Maybe. Maybe _you_ shouldn't be punishing people for being themselves."

Everything stopped. Neither piece nor die moved. The already freezing temperature of the castle dropped noticeably. Ice Queen looked up at him, and a dangerous white mist fell from her eyes and down her cheeks. "What did you say?"

It was dread now that struck him down to the bone. But, even through chattering teeth, he responded, "H-Haven't you ever thought about what other people feel and want?"

"Why would I do that?" she demanded, "I am Queen. Why should I care?"

"I-I dunno," Decker admitted, then deflated, "I'm sorry. I just don't understand why you have to kidnap them."

The temperature slowly rose back to normal. The mist faded. Although now Ice Queen regarded him a bit more distantly. "I'm a _very_ picky woman. Someone as young as you can't ever fathom the dedication and _commitment_ of marriage. I collect options because I'm smart and careful."

It seemed as though she was opening up a bit. Decker was emboldened, "Then why kidnap? Kidnapping just puts everyone on edge."

An eyebrow raised. The expression she wore dared him to push further and see where it got him. "How so? I've made my cages as homey as can be."

This chick really was crazy, he decided. Decker shrunk back, pushing his fingers shyly together. Twisting the truth may salvage whatever semblance of safety he'd had before. But was manipulation the way he wanted to go? It all seemed mean-spirited.

Maybe if Ice Queen was shown a bit of kindness, she'd see some kind of light? "I..." he began, "I think that... This board game is relaxing."

Ice Queen remained pensive, awaiting his next line. Decker spit out sloppy word after sloppy word, "It makes me feel kinda normal? But, this whole time I haven't been able to enjoy it because I can't keep my mind off the fact that I'm a hostage."

The temperature lowered. It scared him but he kept going, "And I'm sorry if that makes you mad, but... I'm too scared of being frozen or tortured to enjoy my time with you. And it sucks cause from what I've seen, you're pretty cool. You're _not_ evil. You just want some friends, and you're going about it all _wrong_."

Pain wracked through Decker as the temperature plummeted. Pins and needles he could tolerate, but these were now scalding scalpels in his flesh! It was almost as bad as being roasted alive. Tears filled his eyes. He hugged himself.

Decker had gone too far and pissed her off. She was totally gonna kill him, for real this time. The ice monarch rose from her position, and he backed away, now standing on the opposite side of the bed. Big plumes of mist fogged Decker's vision with his every breath. His teeth clacked against each other.

"P-Please don't freeze me again," he chattered pitifully, "It hurts too much."

Ice Queen raised her hands, now sparking with blue energy, "I invite you, an intruder, into my home. I give you shelter. I give you my company, I offer you my guidance, and you have the nerve to criticize my lifestyle?!"

"No! I wasn't trying to come across that way, I swear," Decker babbled, "It was a suggestion to help you make friends."

She shot back, "What makes you think I want or even need your help?"

Finally, Decker's voice rose to yell, "Cause you're lonely!"

Mentally, he cursed himself for the silent tears sliding down his cheeks. All he'd done since he woke up was cry. Ice Queen's magic faded, but her glare did not. He continued, "I've got Fionna and Cake. But I'm- ... I dunno, you seem very lonely."

Her glare lightened ever so slightly.

"Please, give my way a shot," Decker said, "I'd hate to lose a friend because she threatened to kill me."

The temperature of the room returned to normal. "Friend?" she asked.

"Yeah. You say you're cool with Fionna and Cake. That means you can't be _that_ bad."

 _Crash!_

The sound of shattering ice. Someone must've broken right into the mountain. Ice Queen's hair stiffened a bit, almost like a cat's hackles. She said nothing, but quickly left the room, leaving only a single detail unattended. The door, it was there!

There was no decision to make. Decker bolted from the room, moving as fast as his body allowed. He felt sluggish, like he was drugged. Every step was a fight to stay upright; yet, with every step, he could feel his core temperature rising and speed him up, bit by bit. He was nowhere remotely close to how fast he ran earlier in that morning, but it was still fast.

The place was labyrinthian, but Decker found that if he focused hard enough of the ground, he could see the miniscule indentation of where Ice Queen's feet melted the ice. He hoped that he would be faster than her magic now that he knew how it worked. That one big part of himself wanted to cut his losses and run. **_We've earned her trust, she left us alone. Let's get the fuck out!_**

 _No_ , he rebutted. Whoever broke in could be even worse than a kidnapper. Until he saw who the intruder was, Decker would continue to fight with himself. Running as fast he could on these icy floors, he remained indecisive. Yes and no clashed inside him.

Decker wanted so bad to have Ice Queen's back, to trust her, to trust that she may see things as he sees them. There was no way to know that, though. Fear overwhelmed him, but then he heard voices and screeched to a stop before he came to the front room.

* * *

With a grunt, both Fionna and Cake landed in the castle. They struck a couple of ridiculous mock kung fu stances before getting serious. "Huh?" Fionna looked around, "No one's home?"

The only remotely suspicious thing was the lavish, blue curtain where the Prince Cage usually was. Everything else, strewn-about clothing included, was intact. Cake sniffed around, "Nah, she's here. The stank's still strong."

Fionna shoved her playfully. "Ew," she chuckled.

"What are you two doing here?!" Ice Queen strode out.

Seeing the queen in her PJ's wasn't necessarily shocking to either heroine. Fionna shuddered at the memory of Ice Queen in a torn dress and painted-on thigh socks, pretending to be her. This was, by far, as normal as the monarch could ever appear to them. It actually made Fionna uncomfortable in a different way, like she was intruding on the older woman's bedtime or something. She faltered, if only for a moment, "We- er... We were wondering if you've seen a friend of ours. He's, like, yay tall and human?"

"Nope, never seen 'im," Ice Queen tersely replied, examining her nails, "Now get out."

Fionna groaned, "Cut it out, Simone. We followed _someone's_ tracks here. They went straight up the mountain to your door."

"And how many humans can run straight up a mountain, hm?" she cut in, hands placed firmly on her hips.

"I can."

All three of them turned to the source of the sheepish reply. Decker slid out from his hiding place. Both his arms were drawn into himself tightly. Wringing his hands softly yet frantically, he said, "You guys are probably tired. I'm sorry."

All eyes were on Decker. It felt wrong. Whatever this was, he couldn't pin down what he was feeling. His hand went to his hair and rubbed softly. "Decker," Fionna called, "How'd you get up the mountain? It takes special gear to climb, but we only saw your footprints."

" _I_ brought him up," Ice Queen declared, "He saw me and practically fell for me! So back off, hussy, he's mine."

That wasn't how it went! Why lie? A pit formed in his stomach. They were all squared up like some big fight. He tried to reason with them, "T-That's not-"

"Silence, my prince!"

Once more, Decker interjected, "But that's not how it-"

Ice Queen's hands rose above her head, sparking to life, "I said _silence_!"

Decker recoiled in fear. But before she could fire any spell off, her tiara was knocked from her head by Fionna in a flying kick. She yelped, "My tiara!"

Another kick made contact with her stomach. She doubled over. "Oh," she wheezed, clutching her stomach, "Oh, my sweater-"

One last spin kick sent Ice Queen sliding across the floor. Fionna stood from her stand and turned to the boy. He was still. Decker's face was soft, the gentle curve of his cheek unmarred by any lines of emotion. The only indicators of what he felt were the upward turn of his brow and the way his hands held each other far too close to his chest.

Fionna wanted him out of there. She cautiously approached him. "Come on," she murmured.

The tug on his arm was met with resistance. He wouldn't be moved. The tendons in his thin neck jutted out scarily, and his Adam's Apple bobbed with a hard swallow. Decker's eyes never left Ice Queen. Whatever it was he was galvanizing himself for, it grieved him greatly.

Tiny was Decker's voice when he finally spoke, "Why?"

Ice Queen was slowly making her way to her feet. Fionna tried goading him in her direction with another small tug. He continued regardless, "I don't understand."

The grip he had on his hands squeezed until he was trembling. Something inside clenched tightly, strangling him. Why were they fighting? "I thought you said that this whole 'enemies' thing with Fionna was behind you," his voice cracked under the pressure, "Why didn't you just tell me the truth?!"

No more tears. This time, he cursed out loud, loud enough for everyone to hear, and bit hard on his tongue. Big, deep breaths. No more tears. "I wanted to," she finally said.

Her normal demeanor had retreated into something more sincere. Ice Queen laid there on the floor, but her eyes seemed a little less fogged. Beneath the cloudy haze, Decker could almost make out some muted color. It looked like a cooler color, but a bit warmer; teal? Or was it green?

She looked halfway lucid, as opposed to her usual coming-and-going gaze. "I don't understand," Decker whined helplessly.

The monarch shifted, flinching to hold her stomach. She used a free hand to move hair out of her face. "No," she said, "You don't. I _need_ a prince-"

"What you _need_ is your head examined," Fionna barked, "And to stop preying on dudes."

She went unacknowledged. Decker said, "I want to be your friend. I enjoyed the board game a little bit. But you _lied_ to me. I don't really know why I expected you not to, but I know that I've had enough lies for one day!"

"We can play more board games," she quickly begged, and the haze in her eyes returned, "We can stay here and play board games as much as you like. You'll stay here and be mine forever!"

Decker sighed, "I... I wanna leave now, Fionna."

The human girl nodded. Ice Queen's various pleas felt hollow. She was just saying things to get him to stay. The entrance of the palace was drawing close, but slowly. He wanted so bad to leave this all behind.

Again, Decker felt as though his body had a mind of its own. There was this need to self-preserve. Ice Queen was a bad person, right? She _deserves_ to grovel like this for trapping and endangering him like she did. Were these the feelings his body remembered that his mind couldn't?

It felt _good_ when Ice Queen begged. It felt good to be in control. Yet, somehow, it felt _wrong._ It felt so damn good, but so very wrong. Everyone should have a second chance, right?

No one deserved a final judgement for a first impression, did they? How would someone react to the freakish abilities that _he_ , himself had? Would he want to be dismissed because of that or because he came on too strong at first? There was still so much of his being that urged him to keep walking. Dig in, go with his gut, never question himself.

 _What if questioning myself is the right thing, though?_

 ** _Don't be ridiculous. I'm the victim here. Not her._**

 _Yeah. I'm a victim. But does that give me the right to make a victim of someone else?_

"Please," Ice Queen whispered, "You were the only one. You were the first one to like those old games. That means something. That can't mean nothing!"

 _No._

Decker stopped just as he reached the door. His hand came up, laid on the ice. The burning and stinging pain reminded him of everything that had gone down the past few hours.

"I..." _Big, deep breath, Decker,_ "I'll see you later, Ice Queen."


End file.
